Equal People Mencap

Updated 17 January 2019

We carried out this comprehensive inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit took place on 16 November and it was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because it is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert-by-experience made calls to people who used the service to gather their feedback about the service. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR) the registered manager had sent to us. This is information we require providers to send us at least annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the other information such as notifications we held about the service and the provider. A notification is information about important events the provider is required to send to us by law. We also reviewed the monitoring report we received from the local authority.

During the inspection we interacted with one person and spoke with two relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, chief executive, one support worker and one team leader. We looked at two people’s care records and medicine administration records for one person. We reviewed four staff members’ recruitment, training and supervision records. We also checked records relating to the management of the service including quality audits and health and safety management records

Updated 17 January 2019

This inspection took place on 16 November 2018 and was announced. Equal People Mencap provides care and support to people with a learning disability living in their own homes. Not everyone using Equal People Mencap receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. At the time of our inspection two people were receiving personal care from the service.

At our last inspection of 5 April 2016, we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. We found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were enough staff available to safely support people. Staff managed people’s medicines in a safe way. Staff understood how to respond if they suspected people were being abused. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults at risk. Risks to people were assessed and management plans developed to guide staff on how to prevent and reduce avoidable harms to people. Lessons were learned from incidents and when things went wrong. Staff followed infection control procedures to reduce risks of infection.

Staff assessed people’s needs following recommended guidance. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs. Staff supported people to access health and social care services they required to maintain their health and well-being. Staff worked closely with other services to ensure people’s care and support were effectively delivered.

Staff continued to be well supported in their roles to be effective. They received regular training, supervisions and were appraised annually. Staff and the registered manager understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People consented to their care before it was delivered. Staff supported people to made decisions appropriately and promoted their rights.

Staff knew the people they supported including how to respond when they became anxious or presented behaviours which challenged. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff encouraged and supported people to maintain relationships important to them. Staff communicated with people in the way they understood.

People had support plans in place which set out their needs and how their individual needs would be met. People’s needs and support plans were reviewed and updated regularly to reflect their current needs. The provider provided information to people in accessible formats.

People were encouraged to follow their interests and develop daily living skills. People took part in a range of activities they enjoyed. Staff promoted people’s independence in the way they supported them. Staff treated people as individuals and promoted their religious and cultural beliefs. The service was not providing end of life care at the time of our visit but the registered manager had experience in end of life and told us they would work closely with professionals when needed.

There was a complaints procedure in place which was accessible to people. People and their relatives told us they knew how to complain if they were unsatisfied with the service. The quality of the service was monitored and assessed so improvements could be made. The provider worked in partnership with other organisations to develop the service. Staff told us that they felt supported and had the leadership they needed. The registered manager met their statutory responsibilities to the CQC.